Piccadilly Line strike: Tube workers set to stage walkout as Transport for London accused of 'bullying'

Strike: Piccadilly Line workers are set to stage a walkout
Rex
Rachel Blundy20 October 2015

Tube workers on the Piccadilly Line are set to stage a walkout as the union accused Transport for London of launching "a campaign of bullying, harassment and intimidation".

About 70 per cent of Rail, Maritime and Transport union members backed strike action today as they accused transport bosses of causing a breakdown in industrial relations.

The group of about 400 drivers are yet to decide when to stage the strike, the RMT said today, adding that discussions with TfL were ongoing.

Among the union's grievances are that problems with train machinery have allegedly not been addressed, "unacceptable" working practices are being imposed drivers; and workers are being subjected to "spurious disciplinary action, outside of the agreed disciplinary processes".

The union said there were also a "number of issues" regarding the opening of the Cockfosters depot.

In a statement, RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "The wholesale abuse of procedures and agreements by management on the Piccadilly Line is rife and amounts to the development of a campaign of bullying, harassment and intimidation that the union will not allow to continue and the anger on the shop floor is reflected in these massive votes for action.

"The combined weight of these issues has built up to a comprehensive and fundamental collapse in industrial relations that the company have done nothing to address leaving RMT with no option but to ballot for both strike action and action short of a strike."

He continued: "The executive will now consider the mandate we have for action and the union remains available for talks."

Tube strike hits London commuters in August

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The Piccadilly line is the fourth busiest line on the London Underground network, transporting an average of 600,000 passengers per day.

Pat Hansberry, London Underground's operations director, said: “This vote for strike action is completely unnecessary.

"We urge the RMT union leadership and members to work with us constructively on the issues they have raised rather than threaten to needlessly disrupt our customers with possible strike action.”

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